HAUTAMAKI_002

A small "puesto" or hut serves as an overnight shelter for Chilean cowboys as they must cover large distances away from the ranch headquarters to gather and sort cattle. A full moon sets in the winter as the cowboys begin the day, drinking coffee and yerba maté tea, by fire and candlelight. Southern Chile is still isolated from the northern part of the country by the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Livestock remains an important industry, and the weather is often unpredictable and hostile. However, unlike before, the value and purpose of these lands is rapidly changing.